a Work in pairs and discuss the questions.

· Is there a tradition in your country to deceive people through TV, radio or newspapers and online?

6b Match the phrases which you will come across in the following exercise with their definitions:

practical joke
hoax
taken in by
gullible
prankster

asomeone who believes things easily, even if it's obvious that they're not true
b to believe something that isn't true
c to trick people into believing something that's not true, usually on a larger scale
d a practical joker
e a type of joke which is played at someone else's expense

6c Listen to the people discussing how April Fool’s Day is celebrated in England. Match the speakers with what they say. Track 26.

Kate

A My flatmate changed my clock so I ended up getting up a whole hour earlier than I needed to.

Jackie

B If somebody makes somebody else look rather silly, by telling them something that isn’t true, by playing a practical joke on them.

Carrie

C Traditionally in England the jokes only last until noon midday.

6d Listen again and decide whether the statements below are true (T) or false (F).

1 Jackie didn’t realise that her flatmate had played a joke on her.

2 On April Fool’s Day people are allowed to play a trick on someone they know.

3 The people in charge of the media rarely play tricks on their audience.

4 In 1965, the BBC started broadcasting smells through the airwaves.

5 In Ireland, France, and the USA, the jokes can be played all day.

6e Tell about the way April Fool’s Day is celebrated in England.

7. Writing and Speaking: Project Work

6a Find some information on one of the following topics (you can use any information available on the Internet or in books / magazines):

· the most exciting festivals in the world

· unusual festivals / traditions

· the festivals I’d like to take part in

Write theses in order to give a brief oral presentation (5-6 minutes) of the topic you’ve chosen. Don’t forget to

· include some visual aids (Power Point Microsoft software can help you)

· structure your theses

· include the phrases which will help your audience follow what you’re talking about (see ex.7.b, p.41).

Picture Bank

Pictures for student A.

Pictures for student B.

SCRIPTS

Track 01

Teacher, Pavel

T: Good morning. Come in. What’s your name?

P: Pavel.

T: OK, Pavel. Have a seat. Where are you from?

P: From Krakow, in Poland.

T: Oh, OK. Tell me something about Krakow.

P: Well, it’s a beautiful city. It’s very old. It’s in the south of Poland. It isn’t the capital of Poland – that’s Warsaw.

T: Is it a big city?

P: No, it isn’t. It’s quite small.

T: Anything else?

P: It’s cold in winter. And er … for you, it’s very cheap!

T: OK, good, Pavel. We’re on page …

Teacher, Ayla

T: Hello! Come in. Are you Ayla?

A: Yes, that’s right.

T: OK. Where are you from, Ayla?

A: Istanbul, in Turkey.

T: OK, what’s Istanbul like?

A: Sorry?

T: Tell me something about Istanbul.

A: Oh, OK. It’s a big city, very beautiful, but very noisy! The mosques are very famous.

T: I see. What about the weather?

A: It’s hot in summer and it’s wet in winter, but spring and autumn are nice.

T: Are the restaurants good?

A: Yes, they are, very good!

Track 02

Hello! I’m Yukako and I’m from Kyoto. Kyoto’s in the west of Japan. My city’s old and there are a lot of old buildings. There are a lot of temples. They’re very quiet. I love the old buildings.

Hi there! I’m Pablo. I’m from Lima, in Peru. In my city there are hundreds of cafés. They’re great. I love them.

Hi. I’m Stefan and I’m from Chicago, in the United States. In the city there are a lot of museums. I love the museums in Chicago.

Hello. I’m Peter and I’m from Cape Town in South Africa. In Cape Town there’s a beautiful mountain and there are a lot of beaches. The beaches are fantastic. I love them.

Track 03

1. Moscow, Russia - 14 million - 795

2. London, UK - 12 million - 4420

3. Istanbul, Turkey - 11 million - 90212

4. Paris, France - 10 million - 331

Track 04

School administrator, 2 students

SA: Good morning everyone. Welcome to Cambridge and to the Cam English School. Right, now, please look at your maps. There are a lot of interesting places in the city center. First of all, please find Trinity Street and King’s Parade – they’re on the left of your map. There are a lot of beautiful colleges on these streets. Opposite Trinity College there’s a good bookshop and a small post office.

In the middle of the map, between Trinity College and the main post office, there’s the main shopping area, with the market and the shopping centre. The market’s nice, with food and clothes and a lot of other things. And it’s cheap! The shopping centre’s … well … to tell you the truth, it’s ugly, but there are a lot of shops.

On the right of the map, there’s the bus station, next to the park. It’s quite busy in the mornings and evenings. Take the bus from there to the railway station, or to London. Any questions so far?

S1: Yes. Is there a library?

SA: Yes, there is. It’s in the shopping centre. On your map, there is a person with a book.

S1: Oh, yes. Thank you.

S2: Excuse me, is there a zoo?

SA: No, I’m afraid there isn’t, not in the city. OK then, that’s all for now. Don’t forget – tomorrow at three o’clock, there’s a guided tour of the city. Have a good time and learn a lot of English!

Track 05

Once upon a time, there were two mice – cousins. One lived in the town and the other in the country. The town mouse was a very superior mouse, who thought that living in the town was far better than living the country. So one day, he invited his country cousin to stay with him in his town house and experience the civilized lifestyle of the town. They sat down to a meal, which to the country mouse was a feast. “Goodness me” he said. “If I was in the country, I would be having only simple bread and cheese in the quiet of my peaceful home.” Suddenly, there was a loud noise at the door. “Don’t worry,” said the town mouse, “that’s just my neighbour - the dog, he wants to join us for dinner.” The country mouse ate a little faster. Another noise was heard outside, even louder this time. “Oh dear” said the town mouse, “the cat who lives facing my house wants to join us too.” Quickly eating the last of his meal, the country mouse said, “Thank you, but I think I will return to the peace and quiet of my own house after all!” Then he ran back home as fast as his legs could carry him.

Track 06

Katie, Neil

K: Hi, Neil. Thanks for calling. Can you hear me?

N: Yes, I can. Loud and clear. How’s it going over there? Having fun at the animal sanctuary?

K: Sure am, but it’s hard work. But everyone’s looking after me, and it’s great to see the work in action. Anyway, you want to talk about the photos? I’m sorry there’s no Internet connection here.

N: That’s OK. Yeah, basically, I need to choose the pictures now, and I wanted to discuss my ideas with you first.

K: Fine. Fire away. Which section are you talking about?

N: Well, it’s the home page link to the animal rescue page. Basically, I’ve got two photos of whale rescues and two of bird rescues.

K: OK.

N: So, first of all the whale rescue photos. In the first one, there are four whales that are close to the beach. Two men are pulling one of the whales off the beach, and there are loads of people in the background who are watching the rescue.

K: Fine, and the second one?

N: Well, in that one, on the left of the picture, we can see the large head of a whale. On the right, there are two people who are throwing water on the whale. I guess they’re trying to keep it alive. It’s a very unusual picture; the whale’s head is massive. But, well, I think the first picture is the best one for the website because it shows a team of people that are working together. They look very professional and it’s also more dramatic.

K: It certainly sounds good. What about the bird rescue pictures?

Track 07

K: What about the bird rescue pictures?

N: Sure. The first one is on the beach, and there’s a man in the water. He’s passing a bird to someone who’s standing on the beach. The second one shows some people who are cleaning a bird. On the right, there’s a woman in a blue shirt who’s holding the bird. So the bird’s in the middle of the picture. Then, there’s another woman on the left who’s cleaning the bird. She‘s wearing a yellow coat.

K: OK, so in the first one, are the men rescuing the bird from oily water?

N: Uh-huh. And I like that picture; I think it’s more powerful than the one about the cleaning. I think it really makes you feel the terrible situation.

K: Yes, I guess so, although it’s hard for me to say without seeing it. What’s good about the second one?

N: Well, it shows the work that our experts do, but it’s not a very interesting picture. Overall, I recommend that we use the whale rescue picture.

K: The one of the team working together?

N: Uh-huh.

K: Well, that sounds OK. Go ahead with that for the moment. We could change it quite easily in the future, couldn’t we?

N: Well, we could, but I need to get something up on the site today.

K: Sure, I understand. Use the whale one and when I get back to the office, I’ll let you know if there’s a problem.

Good morning, everybody. I’m going to start by giving you a short introduction to the buildings of the Winter Palace and the Hermitage. Right, as you probably know, St. Petersburg was established as a new city by Peter the Great in 1703 and it soon became the capital of the Russian Empire. In 1752 Empress Elizabeth ordered her Italian architect Rastrelli to design a new winter residence. The Winter Palace was an enormous building which even had a Palace church in one corner of it.

Empress Elizabeth died in 1761 but in the following year Catherine the Great became Empress after the death of her husband. She wanted somewhere to get away from the palace and relax but the Winter Palace had no garden. So, she ordered her architects to build a hanging garden next to the palace and a small hermitage. The garden was a place for her and her favorites to relax and enjoy themselves. The garden had fountains, rare plants and exotic birds. Next to the garden was the Hermitage, a building there Catherine held private parties and dinners. Catherine also started to collect paintings and other works of art and started to fill the Hermitage with them. She bought paintings from all around Europe by great masters like Rembrandt, Rubens, Tintoretto and Velázquez. After a while she had another problem: she needed more room for her collection of paintings. So, she ordered her architects to design another new building for all her pictures next to her Hermitage. And next to that Catherine ordered a building of a theatre. When Catherine died she had a magnificent Palace consisting of different buildings with an excellent library and one of the best art collections in the world with 4,000 paintings.

Since Catherine’s day the art collection has grown and the Winter Palace and the Hermitage buildings have survived all sorts of disasters. In 1837 a disastrous fire burnt out the interior of the Winter Palace and it was entirely rebuilt. In March 1917 the Winter Palace became the headquarters of the Russian government after the last Tsar abdicated. On the 25th of October 1917 the Palace was attacked and entered by the communists. It later became a state museum.

The Winter Palace and the Hermitage also survived the terrible siege of Leningrad by the Germans in the Second World War which started in September 1941 and lasted for two and a half years.

OK, let’s go in. You can see the magnificent staircase designed …

Track 10

Tourist, Guide

T: Good morning. I’d like information about museums in London, please.

G: There are three hundred museums in London, you know! What do you want to see?

T: Well, I’m interested in science.

G: Ok, you can go to the Science Museum. That’s a great day out. There are really interesting things to see.

T: Right. And when is it open?

G: From ten in the morning until six in the evening. On Sundays, it opens at eleven and closes at eight.

T: How much are the tickets?

G: Entrance is free!

T: That’s great! And how do I get there?

G: Well, you can get a bus or the tube. The tube station for the museum is South Kensington.

T: Where can I get a map? I don’t want to get lost.

G: Here you are.

T: Thanks very much.

G: Not at all!

Track 11

I write music mainly for videos and plays. I work on a keyboard connected to a computer. I use the computer in two ways really: first of all, to record what I play on the keyboard, in other words to store what I play on the keyboard. Secondly, the computer controls the sounds I can make with the different synthesizers. The computer is the link between the keyboard which I play and the synthesizers which produce the sounds.

I use my computer to do the usual office things like write memos, letters, faxes and so on, but the thing which I find really useful is electronic mail. We’re an international company and we have offices all over the world. We’re linked up to all of them by e-mail. With e-mail I can communicate with the offices around the world very efficiently. It’s really changed my life.

Well, I use computers for almost every aspect of my job. I use them to design electrical installations and lighting systems: for example the program will tell you how much lighting you need for a particular room, or how much cable you need, and it will show where the cable should go. I also use the computer to make drawings and to keep records. We have to test our installations every five years and the information is stored on computer.

I use computers to find information for people. Readers come in with a lot of queries and I use either our own database or the national database that we’re connected to to find what they want. They might want to know the name and address of a particular society or last year’s accounts of a company and we can find that out for them. Or they might want to find a particular newspaper article but they don’t know the exact date it was published so we can find it for them by checking on our online database for anything they can remember: a name or the general topic. And we use computers to catalogue the books in the library and to record the books that readers borrow.

Track 12

Interviewer, Woman

I: What’s the tallest building you’ve ever seen?

W: The tallest building? Well … let me see … erm … I haven’t seen many really tall buildings, but last year I went to New York and I visited the Empire State Building, and I really liked it. Erm … I first saw the building from the plane. That was fantastic; it made me think of the film King Kong. Then I visited the building the next day. It’s very tall and it’s also beautiful, I think. It’s different from most tall buildings because erm … it’s made of bricks and has a lot of windows. Other tall buildings are all glass, so it’s very different, and that’s why I think that it looks beautiful. Anyway, I went to the top of the building in the lift, and the view from the top is wonderful. You can see all of Manhattan in every direction – the yellow taxis look so small, like tiny insects! Well, what else? Oh yes, I also went up the building at night. That was great – you can see all the lights of New York City below your feet. That was a very special moment for me. So, that’s the tallest building I’ve seen.

Track 13

Interviewer, Teenagers 1(Martin), 2 (Julia), 3(Ann), 4(Greg)

I: What do young people want from a holiday nowadays? Well, we invited four teenagers to the studio to find out. First, we’re talking to Martin. Martin, where do you normally go for your holidays?

1 (M): Well, I usually go to Scotland with my parents. But this year I’m doing something completely different. I’m going with my friends to Ibiza.

I: So, you’ve decided you want to see a bit more of the world?

1 (M): Not really. We’re going for the clubbing. The weather is good too, though, and that makes a lot of difference.

I: Julia, what about you? What’s your idea of a really good holiday?

2 (J): I’ve always loved visiting different countries, places I’ve never visited before. I like finding out about different cultures and I just love travelling

I: Uh-huh. Ann, do you have a favourite holiday destination?

3 (A): I’d love to travel all over the world but I’m terrified of getting into an airplane. It means I can only visit places I can travel to by car or train or, sometimes, ship.

I: Greg, tell us your idea of a perfect holiday.

4 (G): Well, I used to go on package holidays with my family to Spain. I enjoyed the flights and the weather. But for the last couple of years I’ve been cycling with a group of friends in the mountains. It’ great! Although the weather is not usually that good we usually take a tent and go camping. It’s very relaxing and you don’t have to spend a lot of money on flights and accommodation.

Track 14

Yvonne Archer, Trisha Barnett – Head of Tourism Concern

Y: This weekend, thousands and thousands of people will travel to countries across the world. And in Britain alone, about 60 million people take a holiday abroad each year! Most of us have probably heard of ‘package’ and ‘all inclusive’ holidays but when I asked around Bush House, not many of us had heard of ‘ethical travel’. Of course by now, we all know that long plane journeys cause serious damage to our environment but with ‘ethical travel’, there are other things to think about as well.

T: Somebody once told me how when a hotel was built in the area that he lived in in the Pacific, it was as if a spaceship had arrived.

Y: Trisha Barnett, head of Tourism Concern who’ve published “The Ethical Travel Guide”. There, Trisha was talking about the effect that tourists can have on the people who live in the countries they visit. In that case, the new hotel was like a spaceship – something very alien had landed in the Pacific. The local people - the community living in the area where the hotel was built, wasn’t ‘consulted’ before the work began. No one met with them to get their opinions on how the hotel would affect them - and the community certainly wasn’t asked for any advice. We also heard how the local people usually have very poor ’infrastructures’, for example, little access to transport, electricity and even running water. ‘Ethical travel’ encourages tourists to be more aware of what’s happening in the countries they plan to visit. Hopefully, that will lead to ‘sustainable tourism’… we’ll be able to visit those countries in the future without causing problems. The governments of many developing countries encourage tourism as a valuable form of income – an important way to make money. But as Trisha explains, the money is often used to pay off the countries’ debts and increase tourism rather than help local people like farmers.

T: The governments, encouraged by The World Bank and the IMF to pay back their debt, bring tourists in as much as they possibly can and feed all their money into the tourism infrastructure rather than say agriculture.

Y: Did you know that in 24 hours, the average tourist uses the same amount of water that a local person might use in 100 days? Shocking, isn’t it? But according to Trisha, knowing what’s going on could lead to tourists helping to solve problems rather than adding to them.

T: You’re really not aware that when you use your shower and you plunge into the pool that that water might have been at the cost of local people and they don’t have running water at all. And in fact, it’s quite picturesque to see a woman walking down a dusty road with a pail on her head full of water. We’re not making the connections between their poverty and our luxury and the luxury and that infrastructure is at their cost.

Y: Is there anything that tourists could do to help in your own country? Do you think that ‘tips’ - giving extra money to low-paid workers - keeps their wages low? Would gifts of clothes, toiletries, pencils or paper for them and their children be a good idea? And if tourists visited areas away from their hotels, would that provide local people with work as guides and encourage governments to provide better roads and transport?

‘Ethical Travel’ gives us lots to think and talk about.

Track 15

Fifty countries founded the United Nations after the Second World War, on the 24th of October 1945, to be exact. After such a terrible war, they founded the UN in order to maintain world peace and security, to develop friendly relations between countries and to improve living conditions and human rights across the world. There are now 191 countries in the UN, that’s nearly every country in the world, and representatives from these countries meet at the UN headquarters in New York.

For most people, the Secretary General of the UN is the face of this massive organization. The Secretary General is the person that we usually see on the television news when the UN does something important. Over the years, the Secretary General has come from many different countries, such as Egypt, Peru and Sweden. The current Secretary General is from South Korea.

The UN works in a wide range of areas, with a general aim to improve the lives of ordinary people and to keep peace in the world. For example, the UN helps refugees, helps the economic development of poorer countries and runs the court of International Justice. Two areas that the UN is not involved in are entertainment and religious education.

Track 16

Presenter, Mark Gregory

P: Anti-globalization protesters take to the streets to make their feelings known. Police have used rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons against anti-globalization protesters where the G 8 summit is being held. Mark Gregory is the BBC World Service business correspondent. I’ve been speaking to him about globalization and I asked him first for his definition of the term.

M: Well, globalization has become a kind of a catchall phrase that is used to describe a process of seemingly ever greater economic integration, a process in which economic events in one place pretty soon have huge implications almost everywhere else.

P: Technological developments have made communication and travel much easier, so that the world seems to be a smaller place. This has resulted, for example, in greater international trade and foreign investment, both of which are signs or manifestations of what the experts call globalization. There are also cultural aspects of the globalization process – such as the increasing use of English and the appearance of similar (often American) products in different parts of the world. Mark Gregory again:

M: The manifestations include global companies, the names that everybody’s heard of - Sony, Microsoft, IBM – and also the fact that you’ve got common brands that are on sale in many different parts of the world; you’ve got global financial institutions: the IMF, The World Bank and so forth; you have global financial markets.

P: But if there are winners, are there loser as well?

M: Of course, a lot of people would say that these impacts have not only been positive, some have been negative and that the process of globalization is a process in which, if you like, some countries win and others lose.

P: One manifestation of globalization is the spread of similar products around the world. These include well-known brands such as Coca-Cola and Nike … and – with a slogan “One World: One Taste” – the American fast-food chain McDonald’s. There are 30,000 restaurants in more than 120 countries and McDonald’s has become a symbol of the American way of life. But it seems that food tastes in the US are maybe beginning to change: research shows that people are eating fewer burgers and hot dogs and trying to eat healthier food.

Track 17

First, we want to deliver a magical experience, an electrifying atmosphere for competitors and spectators. Our aim is to inspire young people in Britain and across the world to play sport. We will do whatever we can to inspire children to choose sport, wherever they live, whatever they do, whatever they believe. These will be a memorable Games. A Games that will inspire young people to believe in the Olympic ideal.

And that magic begins with the venues. We’ll use existing world-class venues, spectacular city centre locations, and most importantly, we’ll create an Olympic park which is just seven minutes from the centre of London. In the Olympic park there’ll be a magnificent 80,000 seat Olympic stadium and a fantastic aquatic centre for the swimming events. Half of the venues will be only five minutes from the athletes’ accommodation and only ten per cent will be more than twenty minutes away.

The Olympic park will contain the Olympic village; we’ll put athletes at the heart of the games. There’ll be 8,000 double rooms and this accommodation will be modern, spacious and comfortable. Athletes will be just a short walk from the main stadium. They’ll be at the centre of the Olympic experience.

The Olympic park will be only seven minutes from Central London by train via a new high-speed train service. Nine other railway and underground lines will form the basis of a comprehensive public transport system serving every venue. A special Olympic bus service will provide quick and easy journeys between venues. Finally, we’ll give free public transport to all athletes, officials and spectators.

Track 18

Ñì. Track 17

Track 19

Presenter, Bradana

P: Now, for our ‘Language now’ slot. My guest today is Bradana MacKinnon, spokesperson for the Society for the Promotion of Gaelic. Thank you for being on our radio programme today and, indeed, on our series on different languages.

B: Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here.

P: Bradana, I’d like to begin with your name. It’s quite unusual. Is it a Celtic word?

B: Yes, it is, and it’s not common. It’s a Gaelic word meaning ‘salmon’. Just a small point here – Celtic usually refers to the culture; Gaelic is the language.

P: Thank you, Bradana, I’ll remember that. If you don’t mind, I’ll get straight to the point. Should we fight to keep a dying language alive, even if few people will ever use it or hear it?

B: Mmm, that is something to consider, I suppose, but I’m not sure it’s a relevant question here. It’s true that in the last 100 years or so, the number of Gaelic-only speakers in Scotland, and I mean people speaking just Gaelic and no English, well, that number has fallen from nearly 44, 000 to zero. And yes … Gaelic has declined throughout the 20th century. But it’s also true to say that since the 1970s there has been a revival in the Celtic culture and Gaelic language.

P: I see. So where do you find that revival – in schools?

B: Yes, definitely in schools, and that’s important. If we have Gaelic-medium education at all levels, more people will speak Gaelic. There has been a huge increase in the number of young children being educated in Gaelic in primary schools … and nurseries. So, if Gaelic is a dying language, then why are more and more Gaelic schools starting in Scotland?

P: Good point, but if it’s only schools …

B: Yes, I agree. We need more. If we have more TV and radio programmes in Gaelic, more people may listen to the language. Also, if the economy in the Gaelic-speaking heartland improves, then Gaelic will not die out. Opinion polls show that people are more confident in the Gaelic-speaking communities – they feel that the economy is improving. If young people return to live and work in those communities after university, then things will improve.

P: Well, that all sounds very promising. So, what is the Society for the Promotion of Gaelic doing now?

B: Oh, we have lots going on. Unless we all continue to promote Gaelic, there might not be a significant increase in speakers of Gaelic. But, to answer your question … at the moment we’re trying to raise our profile, and we have a new fund-raising campaign. When we reach our targets, we’ll invest in more Gaelic books in public libraries. And as soon as we get more Gaelic speakers involved, we’ll run more Gaelic language classes. But unless we recruit and train more Gaelic-medium teachers, we won’t make a big difference in schools. Basically our fund- raising supports all of that.

P: To go back to my first question, Bradana, why should we fight to keep Gaelic alive?

B: Well, I believe that every language provides us with knowledge about human thinking and behaviour. And every language, like every species of animal, is unique and worth protecting. When we lose a language, we lose a lot of knowledge.

B: Bradana MacKinnon, thank you very much.

Track 20

Andy, Cassie, Li

A: Right then, does anyone have any ideas for the last few spaces? Cassie?

C: Well, what about having a music show on Friday evening? There aren’t any other music shows in the festival. Is that OK, Li?

L: Yes, I think that’s a good idea. Let’s have traditional music and modern music. I know a Malaysian pop band – and that traditional Cambodian group wants to come again.

A: Excellent. And let’s have the dance workshop on Saturday afternoon. What do you think?

L: Erm, … I’m not sure, Andy.

C: Yeah, … I don’t agree with you.

A: You don’t? Why not?

C: Well, Andy, the traditional boat races are very popular, and the dance workshops need a lot of people. I’d like to have the dance workshop in the morning, and I’d like to have the international food market in the afternoon. People often go to the market during the races and before the barbecue.

A: OK. I agree. What about Saturday evening? What would you like to have then, Li?

L: Why don’t we have a drum concert then? The Burmese drum circles are very exciting.

A: Great idea, Li. That way people either watch a film or watch the drum concert, if they don’t come to the barbecue, of course.

L: Fantastic. Right, that’s all then. Let’s go and get something to eat.

A: Great. I’m starving. Let’s go for a burger.

C: A burger? Huh, OK.

Track 21

C: I’d like to have the dance workshop in the morning, and I’d like to have the international food market in the afternoon. People often go to the market during the races and before the barbecue.

A: OK. I agree.

L: Fantastic. Right, that’s all then. Let’s go and get something to eat.

A: Great. I’m starving. Let’s go for a burger.

C: A burger? Huh, OK.

Track 22

a) OK

b) OK

Track 23

Yes, …

Excellent.

OK. I agree.

Great idea, Li.

Fantastic.

Great.

Track 24

Presenter, Jenny, Carl

P: Our theme on Culture Corner this week is partiesand we have a couple of teenagers from Britain in the studio: Jenny and Carl. Thank you for coming.

J: You’re welcome.

C: Thanks for inviting us.

P: So, could you, perhaps, give some advice to our listeners about what to do and what not to do at parties in the UK?

J: Well, obviously, it depends on what kind of party it is. You know, if it’s very formal you should dress smartly.

C: Yes, but nowadays for most parties you don’t have to be too formal. I mean I never put a tie on, except at weddings maybe.

J: Right.

P: Are there any special things you should do when you are invited to someone’s house?

J: Again, it depends. It’s not a good idea to arrive late for a dinner party: the dinner could be ruined. You should get there more or less on time. But don’t get there too early because they won’t be ready.

C: And it’s a good idea to take something with you, maybe a bottle of wine or a box of chocolates.

J: Yeah, or flowers maybe. And you should always thank your host when you leave.

P: What about the sort of parties teenagers like yourselves go to?

J: Oh, er … well, they are not so formal. We just get together with friends to chat, dance and play music.

C: Yeah, we don’t really have any rules, you don’t really have to dress up and you can turn up when you want.

J: That’s true, but not too late ‘cause you’ll miss the fun.

C: But …er … you shouldn’t drink too much at parties.

J: No, and you shouldn’t accept a lift home from a person you don’t know.

C: Yeah, that’s important. And never get in a car with someone who’s drunk alcohol.

P: What about the stories you sometimes hear …

Track 25

Ñì. U9 ex4g

Track 26

Kate, Jackie, Carry

K: Hello, I’m Kate Colin and this is 6 minute English. Today I'm joined by

Jackie Dalton. Hi, Jackie.

J: Hi, Kate

K: As you may know, yesterday, April 1st was April Fool's Day!

J: Well, to be honest, I completely forgot … until I was caught out that is…

earlier than I needed to. And I only realized just before I was about to leave the

house and I heard the time on the radio. I felt quite silly!

K: Well, April Fool's Day is the one day of

the year when we are all allowed to have some fun and play a few jokes on our

friends and colleagues. Newspapers, radio stations and even large companies

have their share of fun as well. But before we go any further, here' s my

question for this week…

J: OK.

K: In the UK on April Fool's Day, we are traditionally allowed to play jokes on

people until what time. Is it:

a) midnight

b) midday

c) 4 o'clock

J: I’m almost certain it’s midday.

K: OK, we'll see if you answered correctly at the end of the programme. Next we're going to hear from our colleague Carrie as she tells us what usually happens on April Fool's Day. See if you can hear how she describes the jokes that are played on people.

C: It's usually people playing practical jokes on other people. So if somebody makes somebody

else look rather silly, by telling them something that isn't true, by playing a practical joke

on them.

J: She calls the jokes 'practical jokes' and these are when you play a trick on

someone or do something to make them look silly. So the joke my flat mate played

on me was an excellent example of a 'practical joke'. I'll get her back next year

though!

K: Another expression which has a similar meaning to 'practical joke' is 'hoax'. A

hoax is when people are deceived into thinking something false and it's usually on

a larger scale than a practical joke, involving many people. A 'media hoax' is

when people in charge of the media (TV, radio or newspapers and online) play

a trick on their audience. Yes, and it can be easy to be 'taken in' by these kind of stories. 'Taken in by' is a phrasal verb we use when we believe something that isn't true. Another way of

describing someone who is easily taken in by things is to say they are 'gullible'. A

'gullible' person will believe most things you tell them, no matter how unlikely

they are to be true.

J: And the BBC have been quite naughty pranksters in the past. A prankster is

someone who plays tricks or pranks on someone else. And in 1965, the BBC told

the public that they were broadcasting smells through the airwaves so that if they

sniffed their radios they would be able to get smells sent over from the BBC.

Many viewers actually contacted the BBC to say that they could indeed smell

things coming through their radio.

K: I bet they felt very silly after they realized it was just an April Fool. It's amazing what some people will believe….